China, Russia Consider Exploring the Moon and Mars Together

Russia and China are moving forward with joint missions that will explore the Moon, Mars and outer space.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said he and Wang Yang, Vice-Premier of China's State Council, met recently to discuss "impressive projects" made possible by the high level of trust existing between both countries.

Among these projects are joint space exploration programs and enhanced cooperation between Roscosmos, the Russian federal space agency, and its Chinese counterpart, the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

Rogozin also said he and Wang met for three and a half hours, "discussing cooperation in the nuclear sphere and cooperation in the issues of interaction between our space agencies where there are such large projects as the deliveries of rocket engines, and cooperation in navigation systems."

"We're developing an understanding for the rocket and space industry for possible interaction in such profound and technologically complex projects as the future exploration of the Moon, Mars and piloted cosmonautics," said Rogozin.

"Our country has substantial potential accumulated in the sphere of engine-making. This is a well-known fact," said Denisov.

"I would emphasize cooperation in outer space activity as a whole rather than a specific delivery of a batch of goods. The point is not to deliver specific equipment but to organize long-term mutually advantageous cooperation of the sides, which are objectively close to each other from the viewpoint of technical and technological compatibility."

Denisov noted the Chinese space industry was largely created with Russian technical assistance. He admitted China's space industry has reached a high level of independent development and has made significant recent advances in cosmonautics.

Despite these advances, the "field for cooperation remains quite broad" between both countries and "in a perspective, cooperation is perceptible in the field of designing a heavy rocket and establishing interaction in the sphere of space stations and long-distance flights."